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System: Nintendo Wii
Publisher: Nintendo
Reviewer’s rating: ***
ESRB rating: Everyone
Game type: Racing
Kind of like: “Super Smash Bros.” with cars
Best feature: The new slipstreaming technique adds another trick.
Worst feature: Fundamentally, this is the same game we’ve been playing for years.
The bottom line: Perhaps at Nintendo, when they were trying to think of a name, “Mario Kart Wii” is all they could come up with. After all, it’s still just “Mario Kart” — but for the Wii.
A few things have changed, but this is really the same game we’ve been playing for a long time now.
It’s still a good game, easy to learn and always full of funny events when you play with friends. In “Mario Kart,” you drive a little go-kart. As you race, you run over boxes that give you items you can use to mess up everyone else.
The primary difference with the new game is the controls. Although you can play with a Classic Controller or a GameCube Controller, you can use the new Wii Wheel. This isn’t really a new controller so much as a wheel-shaped holder for the Wiimote. You turn it just like a steering wheel, driving wirelessly. We believe the game is harder with the wheel than with a GameCube Controller, but it’s also more fun if everyone has a wheel.
The other major difference is that you can take your Wii online and play with friends.
A new technique in this game is slipstreaming. Drive right behind someone for a little while, and you’ll suddenly get a tremendous boost.
The Wii version also adds motorcycles along with the karts.
System: Sony PSP
Publisher: Sony
Reviewer’s rating: ***1/2
ESRB rating: Mature
Game type: Action/adventure
Kind of like: “Devil May Cry” series
Best feature: The Blades of Chaos are still among the all-time coolest video game weapons.
Worst feature: The action is entirely linear.
The bottom line: “God of War: Chains of Olympus” is one of those rare games that doesn’t feel crudely diminished in its transition to the portable world. Everything you loved about the original PlayStation 2 hit and its sequel can be found here, too — blood-spattering combat and gratuitous nudity included.
Sure, the “God of War” formula is getting a tad predictable, but it’s still a good formula.
It plays sort of like a platformer, albeit a gruesomely violent platformer. As Kratos — a vengeful servant of the Greek gods — you run, jump, climb and swim through levels, hacking and slashing your way through hordes of mythological beasts, collecting power orbs and solving puzzles. It would all be pretty routine stuff if the action weren’t so ridiculously fun. Carving up enemies with Kratos’ Blades of Chaos (basically, two flaming daggerlike blades attached to chains) never gets old, and the gradual learning curve (you unlock more sophisticated moves as you progress through the game) means it never devolves into mindless button-mashing.
The signature “God of War” finishing moves, which require a well-timed series of button presses, may have lost their novelty over the years, but they still get the adrenaline pumping in the heat of battle.
System: Sony PlayStation 3
Publisher: Sony
Reviewer’s rating: **1/2
ESRB rating: Everyone
Game type: Racing
Kind of like: “Forza Motorsport 2”
Best feature: 16-player online races.
Worst feature: The menu music sounds like something they’d play on the Weather Channel … in hell.
The bottom line: In case you haven’t heard, “Prologue” is a mere appetizer, just a little taste of the real “Gran Turismo 5,” which is supposed to show up later this year. In other words, it’s a stripped-down, incomplete work-in-progress. In modern game industry parlance, this is referred to as a “demo,” and it’s typically made available to you as a free download.
“Gran Turismo,” being the granddaddy of racing realism, charges $40 for the privilege of taking what amounts to a test drive. In modern criminal parlance, this is referred to as a “rip-off.”
Putting aside our principles, “Prologue” certainly impresses with the same exacting technical mastery you’ve come to expect from the franchise. It’s telling that the developers refer to it as a “driving simulator” rather than a racing game. Each of the 70 or so licensed cars (out of roughly 700 that are planned for the full game) handles just like its real-world counterpart. A front-wheel-drive car won’t feel the same as a rear-wheel-drive one; a midengine will corner differently from a front engine.
Speaking of engines, gearheads beware: All the in-the-garage tuning options have been stripped from “Prologue.” Sorry.
State-of-the-art visuals and online action pump up the value of what might otherwise seem barely different from “GT4.” But, even so, it’s probably best to avoid this shameless money-grab unless you simply can’t wait for the real deal.
System: Sony PlayStation 2
Publisher: Sony
Reviewer’s rating: **1/2
ESRB rating: Teen
Game type: Trivia
Kind of like: “Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action”
Best feature: Impressing friends and family with the useless information taking up space in your head.
Worst feature: Cheap plastic buzzers feel like they’ll break any minute.
The bottom line: Experts tells us casual gaming is all the rage, so Sony’s not going to let Nintendo corner the market without a fight.
Everyone knows trivia games can be a blast as long as you’re not playing with a hypercompetitive sibling. “Buzz!,” which is sort of like a cross between “Trivial Pursuit” and a TV game show, is no different.
This latest version focuses on Hollywood, asking you to identify famous flicks, big-screen stars, movie characters and film directors from photos, stills, clips and quotes. There are about 5,000 questions in all, and you can customize the ones you get based on type and difficulty level.
The cartoonish set is all over-the-top, Oscar-styled opulence, and the cheesy tuxedo-clad host — his name’s Buzz, natch — sounds like Phil Hartman doing a bad British accent.
Obviously the game’s a million times more fun when you play with a group. Up to eight people can play, but even going one-on-one against another pop culture junkie will get your adrenaline flowing and your buzzer finger itching. Speaking of which, each player or team can choose their own buzzer sound, ranging from a bullhorn to a belch to — our favorite — a monkey’s screech.
System: Sony PlayStation 3
Publisher: Sony
Reviewer’s rating: **
ESRB rating: Everyone
Game type: Sports
Kind of like: “Hot Shots Golf” (1998)
Best feature: New swing mechanic feels more “real.”
Worst feature: It’s the fifth barely different iteration of the same damn game.
The bottom line: Gamers, welcome to the “next generation”! It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally arrived in a brave new world of technological achievement — a glorious era of such earth-shattering advancement that we only have to purchase a sleek new $400 machine to play slightly sharper looking versions of the exact same games we bought 10 years ago. Isn’t it great?
Seriously, you’ve got to be kidding me. Ten years after the first “Hot Shots” struck a near-perfect balance between family-friendly fun and sophisticated simulation, we get the umpteenth update that’s almost an exact replica of the original. That was two systems ago, people!
The mildly challenging gameplay, the big-headed cartoonish golfers, the colorful caddies spouting the same annoying phrases ad nauseam — all the familiar elements are still there.
Yeah, there’s a new control scheme, and it’s a minor improvement. The modified version of the classic three-click swing forces you to play more by “feel,” just like in real golf.
But is that enough to justify a $60 game?
I guess an upgraded online lobby is supposed to qualify as a “next-gen” feature, but I was enjoying online tournaments in “Hot Shots Fore!” nearly four years ago on my PS2. And you know what? It still works.
Sure, “Hot Shots” is still a fun game — just like it was the first four times we bought it.
System: Nintendo Wii
Publisher: THQ
Reviewer’s rating: **
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Game type: Turn-based strategy
Kind of like: “Lemmings” with guns
Best feature: Some of the weapons, such as the guided missiles, are really fun to use with the Wiimote.
Worst feature: Other weapons are no fun at all to use with the Wiimote.
The bottom line: After a while, all “Worms” games begin to blur together.
“Worms: A Space Oddity” for the Nintendo Wii has the virtue of distinguishing itself a little by using the Wiimote.
Unfortunately, while the Wiimote is a tremendous boon with some parts of the game, it’s a hindrance with others.
In “A Space Oddity,” as with other “Worms” games, you control a bunch of little cartoon worms. The worms have weapons and try to blow one another up. On your turn, you choose one of your worms and move it around a 2-D side-view landscape. You can have the worm fire one of several different weapons. The worms throw grenades at one another, or fire lasers, or call down a strike from a UFO.
When you use the Wiimote to fire a weapon that homes in on a certain spot, such as a guided missile, you simply point at the screen and press the button. This is very nice. You can steer guided missiles around with a cursor on the screen, or teleport to an exact spot when you use the teleport weapon.
But to throw a grenade, you have to hold down a button, wave the Wiimote with your hand and let go of the button at the right time. This timing and motion can get really annoying very quickly.
System: Microsoft Xbox 360
Also available for: Sony PlayStations 2 and 3, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Windows PC
Publisher: Konami
Reviewer’s rating: **
ESRB rating: Everyone
Game type: Sports
Kind of like: “Pro Evolution Soccer 5”
Best feature: It’s as easy as ever to pick up and play.
Worst feature: The graphics and physics are stuck in last-generation mode.
The bottom line: “Pro Evolution Soccer 2008” is one of those games which, had it come out four years ago, would warrant a lot of praise for its features; but as a 2008 release, it disappoints.
The custom player and league options are beefy, which is good since the game features fewer licensed teams, leagues and players than in previous years.
Of course “Pro Evo” has never been known for its licenses, graphics or fancy menus, and the renowned gameplay remains: Picking up a controller and jumping into action is easy — one button for shooting, two for passing — with realistic in-game scenarios and sharp AI.
The formula is starting to show its age, however. Contrasted with Electronic Arts’ smoother, silkier brand of soccer, player movement in “Pro Evo” feels jumpy and cartoon-ish.
In the end it’s a decidedly non-next-gen affair. Die-hard soccer fans may disagree, but it seems EA’s “FIFA” has finally supplanted “Pro Evo” as the best videogame footie franchise.
System: Microsoft Xbox 360
Also available for: Sony PlayStation 3
Publisher: D3
Reviewer’s rating: **
ESRB rating: Mature
Game type: Third-person action/shooter
Kind of like: “Gears of War” meets “Devil May Cry 4”
Best features: Glaive weapon; puzzles
Worst features: Clunky controls; poor multiplayer component
The bottom line: Shooters are dime-a-dozen, and it’s clear that developers have struggled to set their titles apart from each other. “Dark Sector” is no different, but like many others, its steps to stand out only serve to distract from the overall gameplay experience.
This is the story of Hayden Tenno, a covert operative who gets infected with a virus that turns him into some kind of superhero with a mutated arm. This arm generates a boomerang-type glaive that slices, dices, picks up items and can even be controlled remotely.
The potential to turn this unique feature into an overpowered weapon is obvious, but developer Digital Extremes did well in creating balance between the signature weapon of its hero and the regular weapons at his disposal. It takes a mix of both glaive and traditional weapons to get the most out of the game.
That’s not to say the glaive alone cannot be used, but its relative weakness in the early parts of the game makes it a challenge to use exclusively. Its usefulness is demonstrated particularly well in the simple puzzles spaced throughout the game.
There are a number of idiosyncrasies — such as having to press a button to pick up dropped ammo and a cumbersome melee attack — that have a tendency to interrupt the game flow. They’re not enough to cripple it, but certainly will frustrate most players.
But quirks aside, the worst feature is the multiplayer action. There are two game modes, both VIP-style deathmatches in which teams or individuals must kill a single Hayden. Taking away the best feature — the glaive — and giving it to one player is a sure way to quash any lasting interest.
Visually, “Dark Sector” looks great, rivaling even “Gears of War” in some spots. And the sheer level of gore can be fun—decapitations and dismemberment are standard operating procedure, so much that the game is banned in Australia. But in the end, for all its polish and attempts at uniqueness, “Dark Sector” is just a classic case of style over substance.
System: Sony PlayStation 3
Also available for: Microsoft Xbox 360
Publisher: Sega
Reviewer’s rating: ***
ESRB rating: Mature
Game type: Horror/action
Kind of like: “Silent Hill”
Best feature: It’s oozing with gritty atmosphere.
Worst feature: Hand-to-hand combat is really hard; multiplayer action is kinda lame.
The bottom line: A year ago you were an elite forensic investigator working on a high-profile serial murder case for the FBI. Now you’re nothing but a pathetic drunk, sprawled out amid the trash in an alley behind the bar you were just kicked out of. You’re haunted by paranormal visions, but you’re pretty sure the guy who just emerged from behind the dumpster and bludgeoned your skull with a lead pipe is real flesh-and-bone.
You’re also pretty sure he’s not alone.
Welcome to “Condemned 2,” the grimy blood-’n’-guts sequel to one of the Xbox 360’s most criminally overlooked launch titles. “Bloodshot” actually improves on its predecessor with more satisfying melee combat, which can get over-the-top gruesome. Trawling through abandoned buildings and backstreet gutters leads to blood-spattering encounters with an endless parade of lunatics, and every battle ends with one fewer participant than when it started.
Gory finishing moves include impaling your enemy on rebar spikes and smashing his head through a TV set. The game’s first-person perspective immerses you in the action and eerie ambience as you track the connection between mysterious phenomena and a powerful cult.
Responsible parents probably won’t want to get this one for their kids. For everyone else, though? Let it bleed.
System: Sony PlayStation 3
Also available for: Microsoft Xbox 360
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Reviewer’s rating: **
ESRB rating: Mature
Game type: Co-op shooter
Kind of like: “Gears of War” in co-op mode
Best feature: When injured, you get dragged off by your mate to a safe location while you provide cover fire — a big improvement on the “heal teammate” button used in most squad-based shooters.
Worst feature: The forced cooperation is tiring.
The bottom line: Don’t judge a game by its cover. “Army of Two” may look like a hardcore, tactical shooter, but under the hood it’s really an arcade-style shoot-’em-up game.
Instead of a single protagonist, the game has two: Salem and Rios, Army Rangers (or are they mercenaries?) who do just about everything together.
The big innovation is the “aggro” system. The more Salem or Rios shoots his weapon, the more enemies focus on him. This allows the lesser-seen teammate to sneak up behind enemies and kill them.
It’s a nice idea, but as an attempt to revolutionize cooperative gameplay, “Army of Two” fails. Too often it forces tactical cooperation when it would’ve been better to let the player decide when and how to best use his teammate.
“Back-to-back” mode slows everything down, offering unlimited ammo and health for an arbitrary amount of time.
On the PS3, “Army” renders beautifully, with smooth scrolling even in heavy-fire situations.
The AI in the game is quite poor. “Army” is probably meant to shine in multiplayer mode, but it was difficult to get matches on the PS3.
System: Microsoft Xbox 360
Also available for: Sony PlayStation 3, Windows PC
Publisher: Ubisoft
Reviewer’s rating: ***
ESRB rating: Mature
Game type: Tactical shooter
Kind of like: “Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter”
Best feature: It’s gotten to the point where any shooter without a cover system feels retro, and “Vegas” has the most elegant of them all.
Worst feature: Few, if any, surprises.
The bottom line: When you’ve created one of the greatest shooters — nay, one of the greatest games — of all time, even a perfunctory sequel is forgivable. Sadly, that’s all Ubisoft delivers here.
Were our expectations simply too high? Probably, but even so, “Vegas 2” is largely a retread of its predecessor’s Sin City setting and counter-terrorism story line — not to mention the same ol’ gameplay.
What makes “Rainbow Six” stand out among shooters is its tactical approach to combat. This isn’t a run-’n’-gun “Halo”-style frag-fest. Players who lack patience and strategic reasoning skills won’t make it past the first mission. Gadgets such as smoke grenades and snake cams are key to survival. Staying in cover is essential.
You have the option of playing through the campaign with a friend (just one, though) — and you’ll want to use it, because the AI of your computer-controlled teammates is roughly equivalent to a sack full of ball-peen hammers.
Online adversarial games are plentiful, but the co-op terrorist hunt is still our favorite multiplayer mode, and the enemy AI there seems much improved and less predictable. The lobby menus and matchmaking system are still a bit sketchy, though.
But, hey, if you loved the first “Vegas” as much as we did, you’re certainly not gonna turn your nose up at new maps and weapons—even if you were hoping for a bit more.
System: Nintendo Wii
Publisher: Nintendo
Reviewer’s rating: ****
ESRB rating: Teen
Game type: Fighting
Kind of like: Fighting games are a lot alike, but this one includes a side-scrolling adventure a la “Mario.”
Best feature: The game is gigantic, and filled with a ton of features.
Worst feature: Fighting means you can’t necessarily play with the little ones.
The bottom line: “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” lives up to its tremendous buildup, and is a must-own if you have a Nintendo Wii.
“Smash Bros.” is a fighting game, but it’s also so much more. There’s an enormous adventure mode, with hours of side-scrolling action. There’s a crazy event mode with wacky challenges. And the game is a who’s who of Nintendo characters.
Most of the game is, of course, devoted to fighting. Up to four people can fight as Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Samus and others in a variety of arenas. The number of battlefields is staggering, and, amazingly, you can create your own. The sheer number of characters and arenas would by themselves be impressive, but it’s only the beginning.
The controls here are easier than in most fighting games. You can use the Wiimote and Nunchuk, or you can play with the Wiimote held sideways. However, you can also use a GameCube controller, or even the classic controller. Attacks are made with one button, special moves done with another and blocking done with a third button. Four-player mayhem with these simple controls is a lot of fun.
“Brawl” is also incredibly customizable. For example, items that appear in arenas can be individually turned on and off, and players can be handicapped to keep the fights challenging for everyone.
System: Microsoft Xbox 360
Also available for: Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStations 2 and 3, Sony PSP
Publisher: 2K Sports
Reviewer’s rating: **1/2
ESRB rating: Everyone
Game type: Sports
Kind of like: “MLB 2K7”
Best features: Improved pitching and hitting controls; good indie-rock soundtrack
Worst features: So-so fielding controls; intimidating learning curve; Joe Morgan
The bottom line: Realistic baseball games tend to pride themselves on, well, their realism. “MLB 2K8” is no different, and the degree of realism manifests itself in a steep learning curve that could frustrate the impatient — kind of like real baseball.
Not much has changed graphically: lumpy player models, clunky movements, it’s all back for another go-round.
But where “MLB 2K8” excels is in its pitching and hitting. Pitching is a particular joy, where the entire process is simulated with the right control stick. A fastball is straight back and forward. A curve is done by snapping the stick in a circular motion, front to back. Mess up, and you throw meat. It’s pretty intuitive once you get the hang of it.
Fielding is about as basic as it can be, but a sloppy button layout makes things harder than they need to be.
Hitting is what you would expect from a real baseball game. It’s hard. Broken down into its basic elements — step and swing — trying to hit a baseball is an exercise in frustration as players struggle to stay above the Mendoza line.
Without a doubt, this game requires patience to appreciate, if only to grasp the controls. But like the real game, once you understand it, the payoff is great.
System: Sony PSP
Publisher: Sony
Reviewer’s rating: ***
ESRB rating: Everyone
Game type: Rhythm-action
Kind of like: “LocoRoco”
Best feature: French artist Rolito’s stylish visuals are equal parts cartoon and cave painting.
Worst feature: No multiplayer support.
The bottom line: Who says all the good ideas have been taken? “Patapon” is proof positive there’s still a creative spark left in the video game industry, where cookie-cutter products incessantly roll out on an assembly line with all the inventiveness of a paper clip.
Sure, you can call “Patapon” a rhythm-action game. But it’s also a 2-D side-scrolling platformer, and tosses in elements most associated with real-time strategy and role-playing games. In short, it’s hard to categorize — and that’s a good thing.
The game tears down the “fourth wall” and puts you in the role of a deity, worshipped by a tribe of warriors — basically, eyeballs with arms and legs — who need your help to reclaim their homeland from enemy forces. You lead the fight by issuing “orders,” beating out different rhythms on a set of four battle drums — hence the name “Patapon” (sounds like “pat upon").
One rhythm means “attack.” Another means “defend.” There are also rhythms for “advance,” “retreat” and more. Flawlessly stringing together combos goes a long way toward helping your warriors achieve victory. And as you progress, strategy becomes key.
System: Microsoft Xbox 360
Also available for: Nintendo Wii
Publisher: Rockstar
Reviewer’s rating: ***
ESRB rating: Teen
Game type: Action
Kind of like: A hybrid of “Grand Theft Auto” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”
Best feature: Huge variety of things to do.
Worst feature: Loads of bugs and glitches that Rockstar promises to fix with a downloadable patch.
The bottom line: In the next-gen world of social gaming, great single-player experiences are few and far between. Developers, it seems, have mostly forgotten about those of us who play video games to escape from society rather than to connect with it.
But not Rockstar. The makers of the brilliant and controversial “Grand Theft Auto” series take their free-roaming formula back to school with “Bully.”
Originally released for the PlayStation 2 and updated here with new missions and improved graphics, “Bully” follows the story of Jimmy Hopkins, a ne’er-do-well teen who struggles to fit in after his parents enroll him in a corrupt boarding school called Bullworth Academy.
All the horrors of high school are included. Classes. Cliques. Curfews. Iron-fisted administrators. Romantic histrionics. And, of course, bullies.
But the game’s satirical edge makes everything irresistible. (Especially the girls’ dorm.)
After a slow start, the campus gates open up and the surrounding town offers seemingly infinite opportunities for fun (there’s a carnival, for instance), enterprise (mowing lawns and delivering newspapers for money), shopping (new clothes, haircuts and tattoos) and mischief (egg cars, hit people with water balloons, etc.).
It probably goes without saying that you spend a lot of time running away and hiding from authority figures. We can hear the parent groups grumbling already.
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